ILA Vietnam

My time in Saudi is drawing to a close, so I'm beginning to look at positions beginning in the summer. I've always been curious in Vietnam, and ILA seems to be constantly constantly advertising. Has anyone had any experience with ILA (besides Scorpio of course)?

i've only heard of them. colleagues who drank in those teacher type zones called them ilaliens, all young, smug, and lower end of the pay scale. they advertise constantly for a reason, and hire almost exclusively from abroad for a reason too. it sounds like a good place for beginner teachers, but not so good for old hands or anyone over 30, except at admin positions. rmit's english training dept. has a similar reputation, but apparently all jobs at rmit viet nam are very well paid. int'l skoolz offer the best environments and pay. i think ssis in the south end of the city would be ideal for someone qualified, nice sanitary new district, the only sanitary one really, and a very nice looking facility.

when i was there, a year ago now, ila jobs started people at 12usd, so i heard. almost every language centre starts people at much higher rates with exp. the last bidniz college i worked for started you at 20usd an hour. don't bother with ila.

vus has a very high turnover too, but they are very organized and efficient. i've heard of qualified people who 'look right' starting at 18-20usd. but most places that advertise do so because they can't keep people. most people have a hard time adapting to the daily realities of viet nam, but for those who don't mind, well you can really clean up. the visa situation is a lot more stringent now, and even properly qualified people are getting shafted over it. for optimum results i'd suggest you go there and stay awhile to see if you can hack the traffic and pollution and the aggressive mercantile culture and general low quality of most goods. you won't be looking for work for long.

barfom, speak to his popeness benedict. now there's a nice chap who knows his nam.

"vast and black. the thing that was poised, like a crow over the moon. round and smooth. cannon balls. things that have fallen from the sky to this earth. our slippery brains. things like cannon balls have fallen, in storms, upon this earth. like cannon balls are things that, in storms, have fallen to this earth. showers of blood. showers of blood. showers of blood. " c.f.

vus is the largest language centre chain in saigon. i spent the last six months in hanoi, thinking it would be less intense than saigon, but the traffic there is much more terrifying, otherwise nice people have a homicidal/suicidal streak and there are no safe times. it's less polluted than saigon, but then we're talking about one of the most polluted cities in the world. hanoi is silent by 11pm for the most part too. i would recommend saigon. wages are slightly higher in hanoi but you find out soon enough why as well. people are much freer in the south and there is a lot more to do. there is also a lot more work. i'd say you'd find a job in a matter of days. hire a driver for a day, maybe 10-15usd, and go around the different schools dropping off cv's, it's a very compact city. again, if you can, i'd recommend the southern suburb if you don't want the filth and the noise 24/7, it's called phu my hung, and there are a few int'l skools, rmit, and several language centres. the rents are okay, though most guys stay in guesthouses in pham ngu lau, which is the backpacker district, and there you will find 100's of teachers who will give you the score. it's not hard to find work there at all.

---Update---

i stayed with vus for four full years, and was paid well and treated well. they get a lot of negative press, but that's tefler's for ya, i had no complaints against them. i did work most evenings and weekends however. but they sort out the work permit and insurance for you. on the side i worked at the bidniz college and at high skools in the daytime when i wanted more money.

rent a motorbike, you can get a honda wave for 40-50usd a month, you can' t walk in that city, there are no clear pavements.